Every year, CIFF shines a spotlight on some of the most talented and innovative short format filmmakers in Alberta. The Alberta Spirit award celebrates local short films, created both by established artists and up-and-coming filmmakers. Over the years, this category has seen a number of familiar faces and a lot of new ones.

This year, the Alberta Spirit program spans a number of styles, genres and subject matter. Some of the films, like HAUNTED and THE EMPRESS, explore music and unrequited love, while others dive deep into the dark underbelly of infidelity (THE LIMINAL STATE OF DECAY). Watch as the dead liven up a post-apocalyptic landscape (BUSINESS AS USUAL), or as a young vagabond floats through exotic landscapes in Eva Colmers’ THE WEIGHTLESS TRAVELLER. Trevor Anderson returns with PUNCHLINES, and newcomer Benjamin Ross Hayden emulates Deco Dawson's style and cinematography in PICK. Honour and fate are explored in A FINE YOUNG MAN, as well as Corey Lee's ARMOUR FOR A BOY and Carlo Ghioni’s PENALTY KICK.

At the end of the screening, a live jury will decide on the best of the best, and only one of these innovative filmmaker will be dubbed the Best of Alberta.

HauntedDIRECTOR Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi, Calgary, 2010, 3 MINA boy’s vivid daydream transports him from his bedroom into a visually rich adventure to find the young girl of his dreams, who is perpetually out of his reach.

Penalty KickDIRECTOR Carlo Ghioni, Edmonton, 2010, 15 MINIf soccer is the metaphorical equivalent of war, could a penalty kick decide a battle? A youngItalian captain accepts the challenge of a lifetime.

Business As UsualDIRECTORS Carol Beecher & Kevin D.A. Kurytnik, Calgary, 2010, 4 MINAn animated calaveras to the people of Earth, and a dark comic look at city life in the year 2110.

The Weightless TravellerDIRECTOR Eva Colmers, 2010, 16 MINA young vagabond makes her way through the big city, desert and jungle. With street-smarts and a touch of her magic, she manages to overcome any obstacle.

The Liminal State of DecayDIRECTOR Kyle Thomas, Calgary, 2010, 9 MINSpiraling deeper into a surreal nightmare, a young man is inundated with the images, sounds and emotions associated with a recent act of infidelity.

The EmpressDIRECTOR Lyle Pisio, Calgary, 8 MINTrevor and Martha see each other across a dingy bar. The couple's shyness is only overcome in a mutual dream where their shadows dance together.

PunchlinesDIRECTOR Trevor Anderson, Edmonton, 2009, 5 MINShot completely on an iPhone for TIFF’s 2009 Talent Lab; Trevor considers an early motivation to become an artist.

Pick

DIRECTOR Benjamin Ross Hayden, Calgary, 2010, 8 MIN PICK depicts the interactions of two trapped entities within a purgatorial world. It is a glitchy cinematic homage to a dark historical moment in Calgary.

A Fine Young ManDIRECTOR Kevan Funk, Banff, 2010, 13 MINIt’s 1962 and the Soviet threat looms large over North America. A new fear emerges and the race to space becomes a race to the reaches of imagination.